Can a blood test show what a head and neck tumor looks like?

Researchers want to know if a blood test can identify the same biological features of head and neck cancer that they currently detect by examining tumor tissue under a microscope. Right now, doctors have to study the actual tumor to understand what type of cancer it is and how it might behave. This study will compare blood samples and tumor tissue to see if blood testing could eventually become a simpler way to monitor your cancer after treatment.

Head and neck cancers that are not caused by HPV come in different biological types, and these types can affect how the cancer responds to treatment and what happens over time. Currently, the only way to identify these types is by analyzing tumor tissue, which requires an invasive procedure. If a blood test could do the same job, it would make monitoring much easier for patients after treatment ends.